[Orlando, Fla.] National Trade Productions (NTP) reported that attendance at Coverings this year reached 35,000, down about 5 percent from Chicago in 2007. It was, however, an increase of 3.8 percent over the last time the show was in Orlando in 2006.

"We knew it was a challenge to try and repeat or top the numbers we achieved last year in Chicago, where attendance hit close to 37,000," said Glenn Feder, president of NTP. "This year's number has to be interpreted as a bellwether for the building industry; though there's a slowdown there's no standstill. Yes, the housing market is skittish and oil prices continue to climb, but there's still plenty of construction and remodeling opportunities and needs for tile and stone."

The remodeling, contractor/commercial builder segments showed the sharpest increases in attendance since the 2006 Orlando edition of Coverings, rising 56.6 percent and 41 percent, respectively. Attendance of architects and designers increased by 40 percent this year.

L.A. Boutique show on hold

The Coverings show board of directors has postponed what would have been its first regional edition, Coverings L.A. Boutique, which was planned for November 19 and 20 at the Long Beach Convention Center. No alternative date has yet been set. According to Feder, the concept for a regionally focused version of Coverings that is more selectively edited for a target audience of architects, designers, retailers and distributors is still viable, but not right now.

"We know we've disappointed many exhibitors who had signed on for November, but the board agreed it would be prudent to hold off until the economic climate is a little calmer and more stabilized," he said.

Around the world

Leaders from the United States, Europe and South America spent time analyzing the market and sharing data. Total tile consumption was at 2.67 billion square feet, according to Andrew Whitmire, trade data analyst for the Tile Council of North America (TCNA). This number is down 19.5 percent from 2006 and the lowest consumption has been since 2002.

It is also the first time since 1994-95 that total consumption decreased from one year to the next. "It will be quite a while before we get back to 2005 and 2006 numbers," said Eric Astrachan, executive director of TCNA. "It's been a challenging year as distributors are struggling for new opportunities. I anticipate more consolidation in the industry with the leaders coming out on top."

The main decline in consumption came from imports, which were down 20.3 percent from 2.73 billion square feet in 2006 to 2.18 billion square feet in 2007. Ten years ago, three countries - Italy, Spain and Mexico - dominated U.S. tile imports, making up 78.3 percent of total tile imports. Today, Brazil and China have joined them as the top exporters of tile to the United States.

Italy reported a 19.5-percent decrease in imports to the United States last year, but it's not stopping them from pursuing opportunities this side of the pond. "The Italian tile industry continues to see America as a strategic market, even if it is showing decreases," said Alfonso Panzani, chairman of Confindustria Ceramica. "America is a lighthouse, a locomotive of the world economy."

He pointed to importers of Chinese tile, which he said increased their share by 11 percentage points in just 12 months, thanks to lower production costs and fewer environmental regulations. "China must make an effort to adapt to the world standards of competition," Panzani said. "We hope rules will be set to address environmental issues - they are continuing a disloyal competition, and that is not fair."

Spain, which had 50 companies represented at Coverings, experienced a 34.4-percent downturn in exports to the United States last year. Its main strategy to increase sales is to get tile beyond the typical rooms of the home. "Tile is not relegated to the kitchen and bath anymore," said Patti Fasan, Tile of Spain consultant. "It's on feature walls, on fireplaces; it's in any room of the house."

Brazil made a large showing at Coverings with more than 80 companies exhibiting. While imports to the United States were down last year (about 30 percent), total country sales increased 10 percent, according to AndrÃ ½ Campana, director of marketing for Revestir, the Brazilian Coverings exhibition. "You cannot build a market on just one experience," noted Antonio Carlos Kieling, CEO of ANFACER, the Brazilian Association of Ceramic Tile Manufacturers. "Brazil has a very large domestic market, but we are in a global economy. We are positioning ourselves for growth."